


Beyond The Looking Glass

by Hino



Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Matt actually being smarter than he's portrayed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7135202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It only took two days after Matt had broken the mirror for him to haul it back to the magic shop. The thought had come to him in the night. The girl that had come out of the mirror and stolen their donuts looked like Edd.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>By that logic, there must also be a girl who looked like Matt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_ It only took two days after Matt had broken the mirror for him to haul it back to the magic shop. The thought had come to him in the night. The girl that had come out of the mirror and stolen their donuts looked like Edd. _   
  


_ By that logic, there must also be a girl who looked like Matt. _

  
  


The storeman gave him a look, one that screamed annoyance, but seeing the cash in Matt’s wallet had him easing into a more pleased expression.

“It’s a multidimensional mirror,” he explained as he rifled around in the back room. “It connects to any other plane of existence where this mirror is whole and not broken. A single chip and it’ll end up disconnecting from the multiverse.”

 

Matt paused. “Can I just glue it back together?”

 

“Not unless you’ve got the special glue,” came the muffled reply, sounding as if it had come from the bottom of a box. “The mirror might fix itself over time, even regenerate glass, but it could take years before it’s on a functional level again.”

 

“It’s not dangerous, is it?” came the hesitant ask from the ginger. As much as he wanted to meet this alternate self, if he ended up getting hurt in the process, it wouldn’t be that much fun. “I mean, going through it.”

 

“Hm?” 

The storeman came out of the room with a tube of glue. “From what I’ve been told, it’s like going through water.” He set the glue down and Matt reached into his wallet, handing over a fifty. 

“Listen. You seem like a nice guy. If something happens to this-” he set a hand on the mirror, making sure not to get fingerprints on the surface, “-then bring it back here and I’ll fix it for free. That is, if it’s something you can’t fix yourself.”

 

A silent nod was given in return as Matt placed the glue in his pocket and gathered up both the mirror and its shards. “Thank you!” he managed to chime after a moment, regaining his chipper and optimistic look. He’d be lying if what the storeman said didn’t make him uneasy, but Matt had faith in himself. If he and his roommates could take down a zombie apocalypse several times, as well as fight a radioactive Snogre, he could probably handle some magic mirror.

 

The keeper put the cash in the register. “Remember. Keep it safe. If you plan on letting other people near it, best to tell them how it works.”

 

Matt nodded and turned towards the door, pausing as they slid open. “If something goes wrong, you can fix it, right?”

 

The man gave a thumbs up in response. It wasn’t the best response Matt could ask for, but before he could try again, the man scurried away, shouting at some children hiding near the invisibility cloaks. Sighing, he gathered his wits and left, hoping that Edd and Tom wouldn’t question his purchase, or the reappearance of the mirror.

  
  


The house was empty when Matt came home, and he took full advantage of it. Darting upstairs, he set the mirror and glue on the floor before heading back to the kitchen, raiding it for drinks and snacks. Tossing them onto his bed, he left once more in search of a folding private screen. Tom had mentioned he could have it, but Matt had been too lazy to grab it. Now though, he thought it would be convenient.

 

With everything set up, Matt settled down on the floor, pulling the quilts down from his bed and using them to cushion his back. He discarded his hoodie, tossing it in the slightly moving pile of clothes on the other side of the room. If he got glue on that, he'd never forgive himself.

 

“Right,” he sighed, reaching for the glue and uncapping it. “It'll be just like a puzzle.” Unsure of his actions, Matt grabbed a piece of glass carefully and squeezed a small strip of glue onto the back and side before setting it down in the frame. As it met the piece next to it, the crack began to seal over, soon looking like there had never been a split between them. “This might be easier than I thought.”

 

The task was easy to start with, but as Matt kept working, it only seemed to get harder. Large pieces were all well and good but once it got to finding places for the smaller fragments, it stopped being fun. He didn't even realize that Edd was home, or that Tom had called for him to come to dinner. Not even the smell of Tom's perfectly cooked shepherd's pie could bring Matt down from his room. It was like the glass was calling to him, begging him to finish putting it together. 

  
  


“Matt!”

The voice made him jolt, and he looked up to see Edd pushing the privacy screen aside to try and get a look at the ginger. “Matt, it’s been hours. Your dinner’s gone cold.”

 

Quietly, Matt pushed the mirror aside and stood, making sure that the smaller fragments of glass were put somewhere safe. “Sorry. I got distracted.”

 

“I can see,” Edd answered, glancing at the mirror on the floor. “Admiring yourself again?”

 

Matt frowned, storming over to the staircase. “I don’t want to answer that.” Edd only laughed, thundering down the stairs with Matt on his heels.

 

“Matt was making out with the mirror again!” Edd shouted, quickly rounding the corner into the living room and using Tom as a shield.

 

“Was not!” Matt replied with a blush. “That was once!”

 

Tom smirked. “You admit that it happened?”

 

“Tomee Bear. Coke Can.” The ginger turned to Tom and then Edd as he spoke, watching as their faces paled. “Are you done?”

 

The two nodded in unison. “We’re done!”

  
  


The rest of the evening passed quietly. Matt reheated his dinner and ate on the couch, wedged between Edd and Tom. The television showed old reruns of Professor Why, and they sat and criticized them, for lack of any other entertainment. It was relaxing and calm, and the three of them seemed to ease into eachother, content with their choices of company. It just felt right, and a tiny thought began to blossom in the back of Matt’s mind.

 

“Hey...” he began as Professor Why regenerated again. “Do you guys believe in alternate dimensions?”

 

Tom turned to him with surprise. “This is very unlike you,” he answered. “I didn’t know you could even begin to grasp the concept of one reality.”

 

Matt scowled, punching Tom in the shoulder. He leant forward and set his empty bowl on the coffee table in front of them. “We’re watching Professor Why,” he lied. “So I thought about it.”

 

“Well, I like the idea.” Edd twiddled his thumbs as he spoke, trying to find the right words to explain himself. “But I don’t think I’d like to go to one. I mean, I like life here. What if I go to some new dimension and like it better?”

 

“Or go to one and find out how horrible it is. Or go to one and get killed. Or kidnapped. Or turned into an experiment-” Edd leant across and slapped his hand over Tom’s mouth, trying to silence him. “ _ Or get eaten by a monster. _ ”

 

“Monsters?” Matt stiffened and drew his knees close.

 

Edd sighed. “Look, now you’ve scared him!” He pulled Matt in for a hug, holding onto him tightly. “There aren’t any monsters.”

 

“I’m going to take a shower,” Matt quietly mumbled, pulling away from Edd after a while. He headed back towards the stairs, heading up quickly to get a change of clothes and his towel. As he came back down, Tom leant over the back of the couch.

 

“You know that multiple dimensions aren’t real, right? So you don’t have to worry about monsters or anything.” He seemed to be smiling a little, meaning he intended it as some kind of apology, or well-meaning statement.

 

The man nodded. “I know.”

 

Tom shifted on the couch, trying to prop himself up higher. “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah.” Matt flashed him a smile and wandered off down the hall towards the bathroom. “Just fine.”

  
  


His shower was quick and silent, thoughts whirling in his head. Did he really want to fix that mirror now? Tom had made abstract but valid points, and Edd’s whole stance on enjoying another reality more than his own made him feel awkward.

 

“Stupid Edd,” Matt cursed to himself as he slipped on his purple pajama pants. “Stupid Tom.” His fists were curled tight as he pulled his vest and sweater on, feeling a shiver ripple through him at the warmth. Tossing his clothes into the hamper, he went back upstairs without a word, stretching the privacy screen around the staircase.

 

He stared at the mirror on the floor with a concerned but harsh gaze, kneeling down to put the few tiny shards in their places. He didn’t know why they fit where they did, just that they belonged there. When they were put in their appropriate space, the cracks healed, even without the glue, inspiring even more concern for Matt.

 

“I’ll... deal with it in the morning,” he decided, stashing the untouched snacks under his bed and kicking the mirror under there for later. Gathering up the sheets, he snuggled down and tucked himself in, trying to think of anything he could to lull himself to sleep and drown out the thoughts of an alternate dimension.

  
  


As he sat on the verge of consciousness and deep sleep, Matt swore he heard a girl laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke in the dark of the night, curtains preventing any of the moonlight making its way in. Matt tried to yawn, and to rub at his face but his limbs refused. They were stuck in their place, heavy and unresponsive. His eyes were only half open, but it didn’t stop him from locking onto the strange figure looming above his bed.

They were tall and silent, seeming to just watch him with curiosity. Every part of him wanted to push them away, but that simple wish vanished as the figure reached out and set a hand on his forehead.  
“You’re warm,” the figure said before pulling away and disappearing out of sight. It took a few moments to register in Matt’s sleepy, shocked mind, but after it did, he felt his warm body become chilled.

That was a girl.  
There was a weird, stalker girl in his house.

He needed to get up, to warn the others, to call the authorities, to get her out.  
Instead, he found his eyes closing again.

 

Matt woke slowly in the morning, sleepy limbs slowly and clumsily cooperating with him. The sun streamed in through the tiny crack in his curtains, illuminating the room with one bright strip and a soft, shadowy glow. He sat up and yawned, stretching his arms above his head and swinging his legs onto the chilly wood floor. Being in the attic meant no heated floors, and it was something that he missed from his old room.

As he moved to stand, he shifted his foot and brushed against something cold. He paused, leaning forward to look at what it was.

It was a glass of water.  
Beside the mirror.  
He’d definitely put that under his bed last night.

He screamed, high-pitched and panicked. The privacy screen hit the ground with a thump as Matt ran down the stairs, each step echoing loudly in the peaceful morning. His chest heaved with deep panicked breaths, and he headed to the first place he could think of.  
The kitchen.

 

Edd turned as he heard Matt approach, hearing the man’s panicked screams turn into desperate whimpers. He barely had enough time to set down the frying pan before Matt engulfed him in a tight hug, clinging to him desperately. “Matt?”

“There’s some strange girl in the house and she’s stalking me and she stood over my bed last night and touched my head and-” Matt cut off, taking a deep shaky breath. It caught Edd off-guard to see Matt so upset. He’d been uneasy when the ghost that came with their roof ended up possessing him, but this seemed like something more. Something more fearful. An honest, terrifying experience. “-And she brought a glass of water into my room and when I woke up this morning, the mirror that I’d kept under my bed was out in the open and oh god Edd what if she’s still here in the house and-”

He was silenced as Edd covered his mouth with a hand. Matt watched with teary eyes as Edd took the bacon off the stovetop and turned off the gas before making him sit down at the table.

“Something happen?” Tom asked, entering the kitchen with a towel draped over his shoulders. He was in a black vest and blue boxers, having been fresh out of the shower. “I heard Matt screaming.”

“I think he had a bad dream,” Edd answered, opening the fridge and reaching in for a can of cola.

“It wasn’t a dream!” Matt shouted in response, using the sleeve of his shirt to dry his eyes. “There was a girl standing over me last night, watching me sleep! She touched my head and everything!”

Tom blinked, smirking as he looked at the man. “You dreaming of girls? Does our little Mattie have a crush?” he asked, winking. Edd just rolled his eyes, placing the can down in front of Matt. Both men fell silent, looking at the can. Being offered one meant one of three things  
One: Edd was holding a party and had been asked to supply drinks.  
Two: Edd had passed out and you needed to finish his drink, lest he yell at you for wasting it.  
Three: Edd really, really thought you needed one.

Matt knew Edd well enough to know he had to accept this drink. He cracked it open and took a sip, finding comfort in both the way the drink tasted, and in how Edd seemed to relax on a whole. “I don’t have a crush,” he softly said, holding the can with both hands. “It was a real girl. She left a glass of water in my room.”

Edd frowned, taking a seat at the table. “Now that’s just weird. Are you sure you didn’t get one before bed?”

“I didn’t.” Matt’s voice was flat and even, leaving no room for doubt. Tom pushed off the chair and moved towards the staircase, footsteps falling quiet as he headed up. Matt heaved a sigh, resting his cheek in his hand as he took a sip. “I couldn’t move when she was there.”

“Sleep paralysis?” came the helpful suggestion from Edd. “Happens to everyone once or-”

He stopped as Tom came back into the kitchen, holding a glass of water. “He’s not wrong. It was beside a mirror too. You shouldn’t leave it on the floor. Almost stepped on it.”

“It was under the bed!” Matt sat up straighter, feeling the irritation burning through him. “I put it under the bed last night before I went to sleep, and it was out when I got up.”

Tom set the glass down and rubbed at his face. “Look. I’ll check out the place today while you and Edd do the grocery shopping. Will that make you feel better?”

The idea was rolled around his head for a moment but finally, Matt nodded. “Yeah. Yeah that’d... that’d be nice.”

It was decided. Tom wandered off to his room while Edd sat with Matt for a little while. Eventually he left to shower, leaving the ginger alone with his thoughts. He raised the can to his lips and took a mouthful, setting it back down on the table.

He needed to figure out what was going on.  
Soon, hopefully.

 

The entire time they were shopping, Matt felt himself on edge. His senses were on high, and Edd found himself frowning, upset at how badly Matt was reacting to whatever had happened that night.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Edd asked after a while, setting a hand on Matt's shoulder and using him as a slight boost.

“I'm okay,” he answered, reaching up for the cereal box and passing it to Edd who took it with a scowl. “Short.”

“Beanpole,” came the grumbled response. “You're twitchy. Do you want to go home?”

Matt shook his head, grabbing another box of cereal and putting it in the trolley. “I'd like to put that off for a while.”

Edd nodded and began to head down the aisle, letting Matt push the trolley along. “Tom will find them if they're in the house. He may not be your best friend, but he cares.”

“I know,” Matt sighed. “It's fine. It just... scared me. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe it was just a dream. A hallucination.” He leant on the trolley bar and gripped the sides of the cart, pushing along and lifting his legs, letting himself glide down the aisle. 

“You might have a point. I mean, Tom said he heard something upstairs last night. Since that demon possessed you, he’s been a light sleeper.” Edd grabbed a carton of eggs and reached out for the cart. “I’ll push.”

“You make it sound like Tom cares,” came Matt’s answer as he took the carton and let Edd take his place. Putting the eggs in the cart, Matt climbed in with it, making himself comfortable as he let the other push him along. 

Edd hummed. “He does,” he softly answered. “He just does.”

“You care too, right?” Matt asked. Edd stopped, looking at the man with a wide, shocked gaze. “Edd?”

“You had to ask?” was the delicate, shaky answer. Matt looked up, caught off guard by the expression on his friend’s face. “I mean, I’ve known you for years Matt. You’re one of my best friends.”

“I know, I’m just...” He rubbed at his face, sighing. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

Matt flinched as Edd set his hands on his shoulders, giving a comforting squeeze. “Hey. We’re gonna find that crazy girl. We’ll turn her over to the authorities, and then you can get back to having your precious beauty sleep.”

He looked to Edd with a wobbly frown. “Do I look ugly today?”

“No! That’s not what I-” Matt laughed, silencing Edd. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“But it’s more fun that way.” His frown transformed into a grin as he stretched out as best he could, sinking down into the cart. Thoughts of home began to settle on his mind as Edd pushed him along, and the mirror came to the front of his thoughts. Edd cared, and Tom cared enough, so was it worth it? Exploring the multiverse and risking everything. The idea was becoming more and more unappealing. “Hey Edd? Thanks.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “You being thankful? That girl must have really shaken you up.”

“Hah.” He forced the sound, smiling up at Edd. “I guess she did.”


	3. Chapter 3

Tom was sitting on the front porch as they pulled up, making both men frown. He didn’t move as they pulled into the driveway, and only stood once they’d opened the boot of the car and started unloading.

“Anything?” Edd asked, setting a bag on the ground and reaching back in for more.

“Nothing.” Tom loaded his arms up with shopping. “I checked everywhere. There’s no sign of any girl, or anyone having been snooping around.”

Matt frowned, gathering up the shopping bags and carrying them inside by himself, leaving Tom and Edd to stand by the car awkwardly. Tom sighed, reaching up to pull down the boot. “It’s really getting to him, isn’t it?”

“I think so.” Edd took the shopping he’d been left with up to the door, Tom following him a moment after. “I’m worried he’s going to do something bad because of it.”

“Really?” There was doubt in Tom’s voice as he nudged the door open enough for them both to enter. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.” He tried to offer a reassuring smile, hoping it would set Edd at ease. They both moved into the kitchen, surprised to see Matt already packing everything away. Normally he hid somewhere in the house until Tom had put the groceries in their places, appearing only to steal a bag of chips or get a drink. His face was plain and vacant, seemingly on autopilot as he unpacked.

Tom awkwardly approached him with the shopping, setting it on the table. “Would you... like some help?”

Matt shook his head. “No.” He spoke quick and low, something that seemed so out of place. Edd felt a chill run down his spine, and he slipped past Tom to set a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“I think we should watch a movie.” There was a smile coupled with the statement, and Edd hoped that Matt would just agree. He wasn’t supposed to be serious and on edge, nervous about people following him. The biggest problem in his day was meant to be a stray hair. To see him like this just felt wrong. “We’ll let you pick.”

For a moment, Matt stopped. He let the idea roll around his head, and Tom took the chance to pack away the rest of the shopping before the ginger could come to his senses. “Anything but Matt on Matt action,” Tom commented, making Edd laugh. “That’s not a movie anyone should watch. I wouldn’t even want Tord to see it.”

“Who?” Matt asked, turning to look at Tom with confusion. 

He jumped at the question, laughing it off as he put away the last box of cereal. “Nobody. It’s just an expression.” Tom flashed a grin and set his hand on Matt’s free shoulder, guiding him towards the living room. Edd got the hint and followed, guiding them all towards the couch. 

 

The afternoon vanished in the blink of an eye, and night swallowed the house before anyone could realize. Tom yawned and stretched, feeling his joints ache from having been in one position for so long. Edd scrolled through his phone, looking for a pizza to order, while Matt just sat in comfortable silence, half asleep. It didn’t take long for dinner to arrive either, leaving Tom to gently wake Matt while Edd paid and sorted out the boxes.

They ate together, bickering over the controller inbetween bites and dissing the B-Grade film on the television. Edd and Matt laughed as Tom picked it apart, listening to him criticize the camera angles with wide grins and eager ears. It got so bad at one point that Matt hid the remote, feigning ignorance when Tom practically screamed at him to change the channel. It was scary, but funny as well. Seeing the man so riled up about bad plot progression was just something Matt couldn’t get over, and from the state of his friend who was currently rolling on the floor and struggling to breathe, he wasn’t alone.

Eventually they settled, and another movie came on. Edd clambered back into his seat, Tom fell silent, and Matt handed back the controller, earning a slap on the back of the head from the angry film critic. It was only twenty minutes into the film when Tom felt a weight on his shoulder.

“It’s Matt, isn’t it?”

“Yup,” came Edd’s quiet voice. “I’m surprised he’s even asleep, considering he was worried about that girl.”

Tom sighed. “Do you believe him?”

There was a shrug and a sigh. “Matt has an imagination, sure, but this isn’t something he’d make up. But there’s no proof either so...” Edd trailed, sinking into the couch. “I’m worried.”

“I'm sure it'll be fine.” Tom offered a smile and gently sat Matt up, lifting him into his arms a moment later. “I'll put him to bed.”

“That’s awfully kind of you.” A sly grin crept onto Edd’s face. “I think you’re starting to call him a friend.”

The look of disgust on Tom’s face made the other laugh. “If I don’t put him to bed now, he’ll-” He fell silent as Matt snuggled into his chest, wiping a surprising amount of drool into it. “That happens.” 

His voice was flat and Edd could only laugh at it, settling himself as Tom headed towards the stairs. “Make sure he’s tucked in. He likes that.”

“I’m not his babysitter!” Tom called from the stairs, grumbling the whole way up.

 

It was long after Tom and Edd had retired for the night when Matt woke up. His gaze was bleary, and his limbs ached. As he woke up more, he noticed the pose Tom had put him down in. One knee was at his chest, while the other leg was wedged between the wall and the side of the bed. His arms were trapped under his pillow, and overall, he just felt bad.

Which obviously meant Tom put him to bed.

A soft groan left his mouth as he pushed himself into a sitting position, jaw clenching as a chill washed over him. “Cold...” he murmured, looking over to the window. The lethargy and sleep he felt vanished immediately as he spotted the figure standing near the curtains, halfway through lifting up the window and letting in the night’s air.

“Did I wake you?” they asked. “I’m sorry, Matthew.”  
Matt immediately knew it was the girl.

“Who are you, and why do you know my name?” he asked, tossing back the covers and getting to his feet. The cold chill of the mirror’s frame touched his foot, but he paid it no mind, gaze set on the girl at his window. “How did you get here?”

She took a step back in surprise, and Matt stiffened.   
The two were almost identical.

His plan had been to meet the alternate version of himself, but now he was facing her, all he felt was fear. Shoulder length hair, matching Matt’s own, down to the slight change in tone at the tips. A purple hoodie and green overcoat, blue jeans, plain sneakers, all the exact same as him. The only difference was the purple headband and bow, but it wasn’t enough to disperse the strange and uncomfortable feeling Matt got from looking at her.

She seemed to be uncomfortable too. Concern was painted on her face, and she seemed to be looking for some escape. Matt frowned and stepped forward, making the stranger jump. Another step forward from him made her step back,continuing until she bumped into the wall.  
“Tell me who you are,” came the sharp, low command from Matt as he watched her, gaze heavy and forceful. He wasn’t messing around now. This girl was part of something bigger, and he wanted an answer to it. “I want to know.” The second part came out weaker. The longer he watched her, the more nervous he got.

The girl opened her mouth to speak, eyes darting around the room. Matt felt himself tense up, and as he moved to take another step, she bolted. She thundered down the stairs and it took a few moments before Matt gave chase, mind still reeling from the sudden occurrence.

 

Through the living room, into the kitchen, out into the hall, and across into the large dining room they only used for formal occasions, the girl lead him. Matt followed with intent, only a few steps behind her at all times. He could hear her frightened whimpers, and as much as he wanted to stop giving chase and settle it peacefully, something in him wouldn’t let that happen. She was in the wrong. She needed to be caught, or he’d lose her.

The sound of shoes on stairs told Matt where she’d gone, and he forced his tired body to follow. It was far too early in the morning to be sprinting around, and the aching feeling in his legs and chest emphasized that point. He stumbled up the stairs, just managing to make it up and catch sight of the girl. She was approaching the mirror, which only spurred him on, reaching out to catch her before she could escape.

The next few moments seemed to go too fast for Matt to truly process, which is perhaps what led to the bad choices he made. He pushed himself, adrenaline taking over as he ran towards the girl. She put a foot on the mirror and seemed to sink into it, sliding through the glass like it was nothing. The whirling thoughts in his mind, the momentum of his step, and the desperation from the chase drowned out reasonable thought, and he found himself stepping onto the glass, slipping through like he’d stepped into a hole.

A cold sensation washed over him, like he’d been dunked in the ocean and pulled out again, followed by the heavy thump and sting of hitting the ground. Matt forced himself to stand, ignoring the dizziness as he set his shaky gaze on the girl, halfway down the staircase.

Taking a deep breath, he followed her again.

 

Tom was a light sleeper when it came to noise from Matt’s room, so when the staircase had been filled with footsteps, and it had filtered out into the halls and rooms, he definitely woke up. Clutching a handful of small knives he kept stashed from their zombie adventures, he opened his bedroom door and peered out, managing to catch sight of Edd standing in the hall. “You heard it too?” Tom asked, stepping out and closing the door behind him. 

Edd nodded. “I’m scared.” He clutched his trusty shovel close, easing up as Tom approached him. Together, they shuffled towards the staircase, taking light steps in hopes of not disturbing whoever was upstairs with Matt. The air between them was tense as they approached, and fear swallowed them both. A human threat in their home was much more serious than some zombie apocalypse, or malevolent snow beast. Those things were so outlandish, so extreme, that they could be dealt with. It was always the things grounded in reality that were the most threatening.

Slowly, they climbed the stairs together. Tom led the way, and Edd followed behind, both holding their weapons with a tense grip. As they ascended and reached the top floor, the fear increased tenfold, seeing the roughly discarded sheets, the open window, and the noticeable lack of people.

“Matt?” Edd’s voice shook as he slowly stepped into the room. “Matt, are you here?”

Tom frowned, grip on his knife tight as he edged along, approaching the bed. “Matt? It’s not funny scaring us like that.”  
Edd peered out the window, trying to find some sign of Matt or the other person he’d heard. If they’d hurt Matt at all, he’d-

The crack of a mirror made Edd jump, and he turned to see Tom lift his foot from the edge of the mirror. “I stepped on the frame,” he mumbled, frowning. “Matt’s going to kill me.”

“If we can find him,” came Edd’s murmured response. His hands began to shake, and the shovel fell out of his grip. “What if... what if something happened? What if there was someone in here, and we didn’t believe him-”

He fell silent as Tom set his hands on the man’s shoulders, giving a comforting squeeze. “He probably woke up and saw something pretty outside. You know how he is. I’m sure he’ll be back by morning.”

Edd sniffed, trying to fight back the feeling of dread building inside him. It felt like there was something more, but the reassuring action from Tom settled him enough. “Promise?”

Quietly, Tom nodded. “Promise.”


	4. Chapter 4

Matt had only just hit the last stair when the crack echoed through the dark house, making him stop. The girl stopped too, frozen in place at the living room entrance. Looking at her made Matt uneasy, and the fear creeping onto her face didn’t soothe him at all. He shifted his weight and the stair creaked, making her snap to face him.

Before he could even attempt to flee, she charged at him, grabbing his wrist before tugging him roughly up the stairs. Matt yelped as he stubbed his toe on a few steps, almost falling over at the speed she was tugging him. She let him go at the top stair and he hit the floor with a solid thump, head swimming.

“What...” he mumbled, lifting his gaze to see her standing by the mirror, pressing her hand against the glass. It was a slow motion at first, but as Matt realized what was going on, her actions became faster and more panicked. By the time the reality of the situation sunk in, only one thing sat in the front of his mind.

 

_“A single chip and it’ll end up disconnecting from the multiverse.”_

 

Slowly, Matt got to his feet, face blank and eyes staring ahead blindly. He moved towards the mirror without a sound, and the girl stepped back, watching as he took it off the wall hook it had been propped on and pulled it into his arms. His knees shook and he sank to the floor, still unreadable.  
“It- It’s gonna be alright!” Came the shaky attempt for reassurance from the girl as she pulled the quilt off her bed, draping it over Matt’s shoulders. “It’s okay! Oh! I didn’t tell you my name. I’m Matilda!” She was trying to cover her panic with hasty speech and in the back of Matt’s mind, he told himself not to be mad. He would do the same, spilling words to try and cover the mistake. Matilda hadn’t intended for him to find her, nor to give chase, and he couldn’t blame her for the mirror being broken.

The front of his mind however ignored all this, shutting down with the truth of what was happening. He didn’t hear the two sets of feet making their way up the stairs, nor the grumbling that accompanied it.  
“It’s three in the morning Matilda, what the hell have you-” 

“Shhh!” came the hissed reply from Matt’s female alternate. The two on the stairs stopped for a moment, assessing the situation. “Ell. Tamara. Please go to the kitchen.”

“Matilda, what did you do?” asked the one in green. Matt caught a glimpse of her as he tilted the mirror, biting his tongue as to not shout at the other duplicates of his friends. “Is that-”

“Kitchen.” It was an order, something that sounded wrong to both Matt, and the girls on the stairs. Without another word, they both quietly moved down into the hall. Matilda didn’t move until she could no longer hear them, letting her shoulders drop. “Just stay here Mattie,” she whispered, voice soft and gentle again, like it should be. There was a suppressed peppy tone in there too, but it sounded forced to Matt’s ears. He gave no response. Matilda gently sighed, giving his shoulder a squeeze before heading down the stairs to meet with the other girls.

 

He waited until she was long gone to start moving. Matt set the mirror on the floor and stood, wearing his blanket like a cape. The first thing he needed to do was take in his surroundings. There wasn’t any way he was going to make it here without looking around.  
“Alright...” he softly mumbled, fists clenched tight on the blanket in some attempt to muster courage. He began to rotate, and the moment he did, he regretted it.

This was his room. From the colour of the walls, down to the misplaced book and thrown together closet, it was his. The only difference was that it was all flipped. His bed, usually on the right of the room, now kept to the left, and the stairs leading to the rest of the house were the same. Small framed photos sat on the few empty spaces in the room, and they all held Matilda, doing the same pose as him. The truth of it all made him sick, and he covered his mouth as he gagged, trying not to throw up. He breathed slowly, and the nausea began to fade, leaving him with just the sense of unease that comes before being ill. It wasn’t a comfort, but it was less agony, and that was what he wanted.

When the room stopped making him feel sick, Matt stumbled towards the stairs. His aching toes throbbed as he slowly moved down, trying not to freak out at the fact everything was opposite. Visions of his house swam in his mind, and it threw him off balance, sending him into the wall a few times as he tried to cling to the banister that wasn’t there. Luckily, the thudding wasn’t audible to the three currently squabbling in the kitchen.  
“Matilda, if you don’t tell us, I’m going to take all your mirrors and-” Matt blocked out the rest, trying to process the voice. It was rough around the edges and angry, with a harsh tone that seemed to be defensive. Perhaps it was this world’s version of Tom. Tamara, he recalled.

“This is serious, Matilda. We warned you not to meddle with the other worlds.” Ell’s voice brought Matt back to reality, and he quietly crept down towards the stairs, slinking towards the kitchen. He almost went the wrong way, having to pause and physically map the house out on his hand before he could find it.

“I didn’t mean to! He was the first one to try and reestablish contact with us and-” Matt could hear Matilda’s voice shaking as she tried to explain herself. The idea made him angry. Traversing multiple planes of existence, just because you could? His fists tightened again on his blanket cape, but he forced himself to let the anger go. He was guilty of it too. “-God, the other dimensions were fine with contact, but he just-”

“You broke into my room at night and spoke to me without warning,” he interrupted, stepping into the kitchen and leaning against the doorway. Ell and Tamara stiffened, staring at him. He had about half a head on Matilda who was the tallest out of the group, which meant that he towered above the other two. “You touched my forehead, brought me water, and then reappeared in my room that night without an explanation.”

Matilda fell silent, unable to answer Matt. He wasn’t wrong, and she’d crossed some very well established lines. Ell took a step forward, trying to steer the conversation back to its original point. “So... can’t you just go home in a few days? When the mirror fixes itself, right? That’s what Matilda said when she told us about it.”

The girl shook her head. “It doesn’t mend that fast. Matt will be here for a while. A long while.”

Tamara frowned, crossing her arms and leaning against the kitchen table. "How long then?" she asked, voicing the question nobody else dared to bring up. “How long is Matt stuck here then?”

Matt paused, thinking. How long until he’d see Edd making breakfast, or hear Tom berating him for not cleaning up. To see the jumbled mess of old video tapes and controllers, see his housemates argue over who’s fault it is that the backyard is full of holes, hear them both scream when something, inevitably, claws its way out of the floor.

How long until he’ll feel at home.

 

"Years."


End file.
